Baja Bopp

Drive coupler question


After dealing with my overheat problem by boring out the raw water tube back to a normal size. (The end was mangled. I don't know how or why.) On my test run something started slipping. At idle the boat would move at normal speed. If you pushed the power up something would let go and the engine would spool up. I drove 8 miles at 800 RPM. I hoped the prop had spun (a shop just had it off.) I took the prop off and took it to the prop shop that just over hauled it and asked if they saw anything wrong. They though it looked perfect. I put it back on the boat. I assumed the drive coupler had failed. I had splashed it BIG time with salt water while boring out the water tube and then again with fresh water while cleaning up.

Today I had someone come to give me a quote on changing the drive coupler. For 30 or 40 Minutes of stop and starts, drive up full throttle cruising nothing slipped at all.

Right now the coupler shows no sign of damage. Can getting this thing wet make a difference? Is my problem somewhere else? When the boat had something slipping it felt like you were driving your car with the clutch 1/2 way in. Right now at a stop, fire walling it gets 3200 RPM and no slip. The mechanic that was here today told me that it might just get loose when it gets hot.

As a side note. Where can I get good work done on this thing in Fort Lauderdale?

Thanks

Gene Bopp

Tinkerer

Getting water on it wont do anything. Is it possible that the prop shop just didn't tell you the truth and repaired it without you knowing it??
A coupler wont blow and then work the next time out.
If they blow it is very obvious. The smell of burnt rubber and balls of rubber near the output shaft.

Baja Bopp

I guess that is good news.

When I took the prop off the locking ring wasn't bent down and I just took the nut off without unbending the tabs.

The prop was on the counter in front of me so they didn't do anything I didn't know about. The prop comes apart really easy. The guy looked at it and said there was nothing wrong. The plastic didn't look like it had been spun. The center part (brass?) looked old. The guy said that he had a better looking one to give me. So he traded me. I bought a new plastic lock nut and locking ring and put it back on the boat.

Yesterday I couldn't repeat the slipping issue. I never smelled rubber and there are no balls of rubber. If the coupler is good or bad, no in-between, I am wondering if the prop nut had become loose. A shop just had it off.

Gene

BadDog

You did not mention the type of prop. If it was a Mirage Plus and the vent plugs were removed, with some hulls it will not come on plane. The vent plugs are three black plastic plugs located at the forward portion of the prop.
Tim T.

Mbam

I am not being sarcastic, but is there any chance your drive was not trimmed all the way down? Sometimes what you describe can be something that simple.

Baja Bopp

It is a mirage plus. I dont think there anytype of plugs in it. But I have not had a problem like that before with the same prop.

Yea, the drive was all the way down. But it felt like it wasn't.

Thanks

Gene

H2Xmark

sounds like removing and reinstalling the prop might have taken care of your problem, make sure the prop nut is torqued and the lock tabs are in place, like the above post said, the coupler will not fix itself
Mark

JaayTeee

Is it possible you caught some
semi- floating debris (sea weed, ice bags)
around the drive ?

I've caught sh*t around the drive before,
and had this type of symptom before,
couplers and prop hubs don't
"grow back" after failure.

jt

Tim G.

I had one go away just as I was heading to the OSO party in Miami. I hit the throttles and the left coupler let loose. When it's gone... it's gone. I guess it's a good thing I have two motors...
The good people at Pantera have my motor out and are changing the coupler as we speak...

Did the drive shift OK? If not you may have a bad coupler- because the drive shaft isn't turning.

Simply fire it up, and look behinf the motor. The shaft has to be turning all the time. Your coupler is gone if the motor runs, but the shaft doesn't turn. it's that simple.

I think your prop hub was no good. Then you took it back, and the fixed their mistake..

Baja Bopp

I really don't know what the problem was/is. I am going to find out if is still there tomorrow. It ran fine yesterday. When I took the prop off there was a I little bit of something that slid out from behind the prop. I had the prop in my hands so I just held on to it and let the stuff float away. The drive was just overhauled. I though the stuff was a few inches of paint that fell off the inside of the lower unit. I didn't think much about it. My drive is under a swim platform and I really couldn't see much while it was doing the bad thing. Just lots of bubbles.

Thanks for your help

Gene